What Is The Revolution?

One of these days, I'm gonna sit down and write a long letter
to all those good friends I've known."~ Neil Young

And so it begins.......the first post of The Letter Writing Revolution. The desire to start a revolution like this has been floating around in my mind for sometime. Letter writing is quickly becoming (or has already become) a lost art and I intend on revitalizing it....one letter at a time.

My goal for this blog is to post all things about letter writing from the best places to buy unique stationary to writing a love letter to sharing excerpts from some of my old letters (love letters and otherwise). I have so many ideas for posts that I can't wait to get started.

Before you technical folk hit the road and leave my blog to write yet another email, please bear with me and just give this idea the benefit of the doubt. I expect that once you experience the thrill of opening your mail box and discovering a pastel coloured envelope that contains handwritten (I know! What a concept!) words composed specifically to you, YOU will be a part of the letter writing revolution in no time.

So, how does the letter writing revolution work? It's simple. All you need to do to get started is think of someone you would like to write to and rather than firing them off an email that gets read and deleted soon after, write a few sentences with a pen on paper, put it into an envelope, address it and then........here's the really cool part..........go to a post office and buy a stamp and drop it into the red Canada Post box (or any post box depending on where you live in the world).

No one to write to? That's okay. I have a solution for that. Write to me and I will write you back. I promise. You will receive a letter from me within a couple of weeks of sending yours and you can experience the thrill of getting mail the old fashioned way. If you have never written a letter before.........(seems impossible but I do know of some highly technical folk who laughed when I called this type of mail "snail mail" as to them, EMAIL was the new snail mail as even it is considered slow) please give this concept a chance.

It is not necessary to buy fancy stationary but it does make the letter writing far more interesting when you decorate plain white paper with drawings/stickers/ etc. or use coloured paper or coloured pens. The main goal for this blog is that everyone reading this, writes one letter to someone. It is important, though, that you explain in the letter that you are part of The Letter Writing Revolution and that not only are they expected to write you back, they are also expected to send one letter to someone they know explaining The Letter Writing Revolution.

I had told one friend about my blog idea and yesterday I received a letter in the mail from her. It was written on pink paper that had a funky designed border. In it she wrote:

"Here's a little note to celebrate The Letter Writing Revolution. You are so right that it is a lost art that needs some life again. I have to say that finding this pretty paper made me giddy with excitement at the thought of writing on it!"

You have nothing to write about? Take Neil Young's advice (see top of page) and write a note to someone you admire and just tell them why you admire them or how they inspire you. Did someone help you out during a difficult time in your life or after your baby was born? Have you ever told them so? If not, write them a note now telling them how they made a difference. Still nothing to write about? Send a letter to your children. They will be "over the moon" to get a letter in the mail. Trust me. It's like Christmas or a birthday! There is NOTHING like finding a sealed envelope with your name on it that isn't coming from Revenue Canada or the bank :-) and that contains words that were written for you and your eyes only. Tell your kids why you love them. The cool part is they will treasure that letter and in 50 years, they will have this piece of paper with YOUR handwriting on it. It becomes a piece of history. Ever written a spontaneous letter to your partner? And no, writing "Love insert name here" in a card doesn't count.

Okay, people, let the revolution begin. I want to hear all about your experiences! Send me your comments & your thoughts and tell me about the letters you write and the ones you receive. Again, if you're new to this and feel a bit odd writing to someone you know, write to me and tell me about yourself and I will write you back. I promise. Send letters to Julie Keon, P.O Box 533, Cobden, ON, K0J 1K0.

Happy Writing!!